• Introduction
• What is Google Summer of Code?
• Why Should I Apply?
• Am I Good Enough?
• Applying
• Making First Contact
• Choosing an Organization
• Finding the Right Project
• Writing a Proposal
• Being Turned Down
• Community Bonding Period
• How GSoC Works
• What Does Community Mean?
• Open Source Culture
• Communication Best Practices
• How to Get a Head Start
• Let the Coding Begin
• Working with Your Mentor
• Time Management for Students
• Evaluations
• Wrapping Up
• Getting Your Code Committed
• Staying Engaged with Your Community
• APPENDICES
• About This Manual
• History of GSoC
• Additional Resources
• Proposal Example 1
• Proposal Example 2
• Glossary
• Credits

Choosing an Organization

You now have a pretty good sense of what GSoC is all about. You've got the time available to commit to a summer project (even if it's not summer where you live). And you're pretty sure you've got what it takes to contribute to an open source organization. Now, where do you start?  How do you choose a project/organization? The path to finding the right project or organization starts with knowing thyself...

"You can do much more than what your university rank says. [The] World is full of opportunities. Google Summer of Code is one such a opportunity to find an answer for, "Who am I?" "
Kapila Bogahapitiy, Network Time Protocol Project, GSoc Student 2009, 2010

Who Am I?

The very first requirement for a successful GSoC experience is finding a project/organization that interests you. Take a few minutes to consider the following questions. You can use the answers to these questions to search and filter through the organizations participating in GSoC.

• What open source software do you use?

• What are your professional interests?

• What are your hobbies?

• What is your skill set?

• What do you want to get out of GSoC?

Who Are They?

After the GSoC program is announced each year, a list of accepted organizations is published on the GSoC web site. Compile a list of organizations based on your answers above. The projects are also tagged with categories of programming language, platforms, topics and applications. Use the tags to filter organizations based on your skills and interests.

For each organization, take some time to learn more about what they do (i.e., Google them!). The organization's mission, it's size and range of applications may all influence your interest in working with them. Realize that through GSoC you will be joining an open source community. Ideally, you'll find an organization that you are enthusiastic to be a part of.